Punjab (India)

Golden Temple, Wagah Border Private Tour with Flag Ceremony

Get picked up from the hotel in Amritsar at 9:30am, meet your expert guide and leave for an exceptional day of exploring the 400-year-old heritage of Amritsar. The streets of this iconic city portray the heroic character of the Punjab and vibrancy of its culture. In the company of your guide drive to Harmandir Sahib, famously known as the Golden Temple. Revered as the most sacred place for Sikhs in the world, Golden Temple is considered Amritsar’s soul around which the whole city flourishes. Visit the Golden Temple Museum and understand the rich history of Sikhism and its establishment in India. Let your local guide narrate you the legend behind the rise of this valiant religion in the city of Amritsar. Walk to the Langar (mass-dinner) hall and witness extreme devotion and compassion of the people cooking and serving. The temple kitchen serves food non-stop for 12 hours, feeding over 100,000 people in a day. Visit the mega kitchen and learn from your guide how volunteers have to wait for their turn to work in the temples kitchen for months and sometimes years. Proceed for lunch in a local restaurant and devour the flavors of Amritsar. Passing through the bustling streets, drive to the Wagah border at 3:00pm to prepare to witness the flag down ceremony performed at the only active border between India and Pakistan. Also referred to as the Beating Retreat, the ceremony starts at 5:00pm and showcases border policemen marching to the beat of a drum. The atmosphere is highly euphoric and marks a relation between the two countries. After the ceremony ends, you will be dropped back to your hotel.

Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Wagah Border Private Tour

You will be picked up at your hotel in Amritsar around 09:00 AM and transported to the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) with your English-speaking tour guide. The Golden Temple is a prominent Sikh Gurdwara built by the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan in the 16th Century. After Golden Temple, visit Jallianwala Bagh, a public garden that houses a memorial of national importance, established in 1951 to commemorate the massacre by British occupying forces.After Jallianwala Bagh explore Hall Bazar and other local bazaars. Later enjoy your Lunch at a local restaurant. After some relaxation around 3 PM drive to Wagah Border for the evening beating retreat ceremony. Wagah border post has become famous for the ceremonial closing of gates and lowering of flags of India and Pakistan. When the ceremony reaches a crescendo, the soldiers return to the border line for the final handshake and afterwards no glance is exchanged and the gates are close. Watch the ceremony from the VIP or foreigner gallery (Indian Passport holder Not eligible for VIP Entry, they have to sit in common gallery). When the ceremony ends, you will be taken back to your hotel in Amritsar.

Wagah Border Beating Retreat Ceremony VIP Gallery with Dinner

You will be picked up from your hotel  between 2:30 - 3 PM and proceed to Wagah Border to witness the afternoon parade ceremony. Watch ceremony from the VIP or foreigner Gallery. (Indian Passport holder Not eligible for VIP Entry, they have sit to in common gallery)  Located at about 29 km from Amritsar on the Grand Trunk, Wagah border post has become famous for the ceremonial closing of gates and lowering of flags of India and Pakistan. BSF and Pakistani Rangers march towards the gates from their respective sides. After the gate is open, the soldiers salute each other and start lowering the flags. The flags are carefully folded and carried back. The ceremony reaches a crescendo with the soldiers returning to the border line for the final handshake and the blowing of the bugle marks the end of the ceremony. As the ceremony climbs to its apogee, cries of Jai Hind and Pakistan Zindabad render in the air. After the parade ceremony, your driver will then take you to a local restaurant for a lavish mouthwatering dinner. After dinner your driver will drop you back to your hotel.

Private Tour: Golden Temple and Wagah Border in Amritsar

You guide will pick you up from your hotel in Amritsar at 9.00 am by a private car and drive to Golden Temple. Set amid a pool of holy water and visitors and devotees from all faiths are welcome. Your guide will show you a glimpse of the Sikh temple tradition of offering daily Guru-Ka-Langar, a free community meal that began in the 16th century. As you watch the community kitchen feed up with over 10,000 people, learn about the Sikh principle of equality and practice of eating together. At 11.00 am visit the Jallianwala Bagh located about a quarter mile from the Golden Temple. It is a memorial that commemorates the sacrifices of hundreds of men, women and children who were victims of ruthless firing during Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. You will learn more about India's history while enjoying the beautiful park. Afterwards we will visit Durgiana Temple, a partial replica of the Golden Temple. The Durgiana Temple is situated outside the Lohgarh Gate and dedicated to the Goddess Durga frequented by devout Hindus. At 12:30 noon you can go for lunch (own expense) as per your preference. Leave at 2.00 pm for Wagah Border (Indo-Pak Border). En-route brief stopover at Sarhad Resturant for a photo session for India Pak friendship. Wagah Border, The final frontier, around 28 km from Amritsar is the only border crossing between India and Pakistan. Watch from the Gallery, you will experience the Retreat Ceremony that takes place on the Indian Side of the Border. The changing of the guards and the ceremonial lowering of the flags ceremony is carried out with Great Spirit. We will leave around 5.30 pm and transfer you back to your hotel.

Private Wagah Border Drama and the Golden Temple with Transfer

Inextricably linked with the history of Sikhism, Amritsar is amongst the most revered religious sites in the world. You will be escorted from your hotel with your guide and driven to the famous Golden Temple.The legendary Golden Temple is part of this huge gurdwara complex, known to Sikhs as Harmandir Sahib. Spiritually, the focus of attention is the tank (pool) that surrounds the gleaming central shrine, the Amrit Sarovar, from which Amritsar takes its name. It was excavated by the fourth Sikh guru, Ram Das, in 1577. Ringed by a marble walkway, the Gurudwara, or Gateway to the Guru, sits in that sacred pool of water, which is believed to wash away pain and grant health and happiness forever. Pilgrims come from across the world to bathe in its sacred waters.Floating at the end of a long causeway, you will find the Golden Temple, a mesmerizing blend of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles. It has an elegant marble lower level adorned with flower and animal motifs in pieta dura work, similarly seen on the Taj Mahal. Above this, rises a shimmering second level, encased in intricately engraved gold panels, and topped by a dome gilded with over 1630 lbs of gold. In the gleaming inner sanctum, priests and musicians keep up a continuous chant from the Guru Granth Sahib (Holy Book of the Sikh religion), adding to the already intense atmosphere. No visit to a gurudwara is complete without seeing the langar (community kitchen / meal) and the scale of the community meal at the Golden Temple has to be seen to be believed. Rows upon rows of people line up to collect clean trays and cutlery and make their way to the two-level langar hall. A few minutes’ walk from Harmandir Sahib is the historic Jallianwala Bagh. It is the site of the 1919 British massacre of citizens. The gardens are verdant, well-manicured and blooming with color. Joggers and walkers mingle with the tourists. It’s hard to imagine that this beautiful place was the scene of such a tragedy. After a break for lunch (not included), we will head for the Wagah Border between India and Pakistan, about 17 miles from Amritsar. We will watch the ceremony that marks the closing of the Indo-Pakistan border gates every evening. This is a must-see event for its sheer drama.Experience the Beating Retreat Ceremony with the ceremonial closing of the gates and the lowering of the flags of India and Pakistan. Watch as the Indian and Pakistani Rangers march towards the gates from their respective sides. After the gates are open, the soldiers salute each other and start lowering their flags. The ceremony reaches a crescendo with the soldiers returning to the border line for the final handshake. The bugle blow marks the end of the ceremony. After the ceremony you will be escorted back to your Hotel.

Amritsar Heritage Walking Tour

We will meet 10 minutes before the departure inside the the Town Hall/Partition Museum complex, near the Brothers Dhaba where one of our team members wearing the City On Pedals yellow jacket will be waiting for you. This starting place is close to the Golden Temple area and is fairly easy to find.You will be provided with a yellow jacket and a water bottle upon arrival. Our local English speaking guide will exchange some greetings before beginning the heritage walk. We will start with other travelers (or with your private group) and finish within 2.5 to 3 hours. The walk is evenly paced with periodic stops at some places.We will pass through the following spots (the order and availability may vary)Town Hall aka the Partition Museum (starting point)Saragarhi GurdwaraQila Ahluwalia – an ancient shopping districtAncient Passage (Bangle bazar)Darshan Deori (the hanging Gurdwara)Utensils Market (Bartan bazar)Baba BoharThakurdwara Dariana MalTraditional Mud Wrestling ArenaCrawling StreetGalliaraSangalwala AkharaTea export streetJalebiwala Chowk – a traditional Indian sweets crossingGolden Temple Heritage StreetMata Longawala MandirDuring this tour, we will have 3-5 Amritsar street food items including Jalebi, Poori-Chhole, Karah/Halwa and a glass of the famous Lassi.The tour is highly interactive that you will cherish for the fun, knowledge you gain during this walk.